1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to door systems for vehicles and, more particularly, to a pivot and slide door system for an automotive vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to provide a door system for a vehicle such as an automotive vehicle to allow an occupant to enter and exit an occupant compartment through a door opening in a vehicle body of the automotive vehicle. The door system typically includes a door extending longitudinally to close the door opening. The door is pivotally mounted at a front end by a hinge to vehicle structure forming the door opening on the vehicle body. The door system also includes a latch at a rear end of the door to latch the door in a close position to a striker connected to the vehicle structure. In operation, an operator moves a handle to unlatch the door from the striker and pivot the door via the hinge to open the door opening. To close the door, the operator pivots the door via the hinge to close the door opening and engage the latch with the striker.
Although the above door system has worked well, it is desirable to open and close the door opening via the door when the automotive vehicle is parked close to an object. It is also desirable to improve the ingress/egress through the door opening to the occupant compartment via the door. It is further desirable to improve the ease of operation of the door independent of the size of the door. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide an improved door system for an automotive vehicle.